deskbird Dock

Early Beta

deskbird Dock is a lightweight desktop app that automatically sets the connected user's status to "In Office" and checks them into their desk and parking bookings as soon as they connect to a recognized office network. When a user is also plugged into a recognized office monitor while on that network, Dock can detect the exact desk and even create a new desk booking if none exists for that day. No manual check-ins or booking creation required — the app runs silently in the background. Users sign in once after installing, or skip sign-in entirely when IT deploys Dock via an MDM solution with pre-configured authentication.

1. What is deskbird Dock?
2. Plans and licensing
3. Prerequisites
4. Install on macOS
5. Install on Windows
6. How it works
7. Grace period and auto check-in
8. Setting up office detection (Admins)
9. Setting up desk detection (Admins)
10. Privacy modes (Admins)
11. Deploying at scale with Microsoft Intune (Admins)
12. Occupancy analytics (Admins)
13. Troubleshooting
14. Feedback & support
15. FAQs

1. What is deskbird Dock?

deskbird Dock is a lightweight desktop app for macOS and Windows that runs silently in the background. Manual sign-in is only needed for individual installs — when IT deploys Dock through an MDM solution with pre-configured authentication, the app activates without any user action. In both cases, Dock works in the background afterwards with no further input needed.

Once a user connects to a recognized office network, Dock automatically:

• Checks the user into their existing desk and parking bookings
• Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab

Once a user plugs into a recognized monitor while connected to a recognized office network, Dock automatically:

• Creates a new desk booking if none exists for that day
• Checks the user into their existing desk bookings
• Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab

⚠️ Important: Monitor detection and booking automations rely on active network detection. If your device is connected to a monitor but not connected to a recognized office network, monitor data is not transmitted, and automatic check-ins or bookings will not occur.

2. Plans and licensing

deskbird Dock is licensed through the Dock Plus plan, billed per active device. This plan unlocks the Workplace Intelligence entitlement, which powers Dock's presence detection and occupancy analytics.

Admins can review their plan under Admin > Subscription, where deskbird Dock appears as Dock. Trials are available — contact your deskbird account manager to set one up.

💡 Note: license-based access is being rolled out gradually. Existing beta access is not affected during this transition.

3. Prerequisites

Before deploying deskbird Dock, make sure the following are in place:

• Account: employees must have a deskbird account using their company email (SSO via Google or Microsoft)
• Check-in: enable check-in under Admin > Booking settings
• System: macOS or Windows
• Network: the office network must be configured under Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Presence detection
• Floor plan: a published floor plan, required to enable monitor mapping for desk detection
• Installer: download deskbird Dock from https://dock.deskbird.com/ (available for macOS and Windows)

4. Install on macOS

Users install deskbird Dock on macOS as follows:

1. Download and install: download the macOS installer from https://dock.deskbird.com/. Users open it and follow the installation steps.
2. Grant permissions: when prompted, users should allow location access. If no popup appears, they can go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and enable deskbird Dock.
3. Sign in: the app opens automatically after installation. Users sign in using Google or Microsoft SSO via their browser.
4. Access the dashboard: the deskbird Dock icon appears in the top-right menu bar. Users click it and select "Open Dashboard" to view the detected office and connected devices.

💡 Tip: if the tray icon is not visible, users should free up space in the menu bar via System Settings > Control Center.

💡 Note: on first run, users in the User authenticated privacy mode see a short "Presence detection is on" message explaining what Dock collects. See Privacy modes.

5. Install on Windows

Users install deskbird Dock on Windows as follows:

1. Download and install: download the Windows installer from https://dock.deskbird.com/ and run it. If a "Windows protected your PC" warning appears, they click "More info", then "Run anyway".
2. Sign in: the app opens automatically after installation. Users sign in using Google or Microsoft SSO via their browser.
3. Access the dashboard: the deskbird Dock icon appears in the bottom-right system tray (click the ^ arrow if hidden). Users click it and select "Open Dashboard".

💡 Tip: for large rollouts, enterprise IT teams can deploy deskbird Dock silently at scale via Microsoft Intune, with authentication pre-configured so users never see a sign-in screen. See Deploying at scale with Microsoft Intune.

💡 Note: on first run, users in the User authenticated privacy mode see a short "Presence detection is on" message explaining what Dock collects. See Privacy modes.

6. How it works

Once installed and activated — either through manual sign-in or through a managed deployment — deskbird Dock runs silently in the background. When a user's device connects to a recognized office network, the app:

1. Detects the office automatically based on the network
2. Checks the user into any existing desk and parking bookings for that day
3. Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab

When a user's device connects to a recognized monitor while on the office network, the app:

1. Transmits monitor data to detect the specific office and desk
2. Checks the user into any existing desk bookings for that day
3. Creates a new desk booking for that day if none exists
4. Updates the user's status to "In Office" in the Schedule tab
5. If the booking was for a different desk, it is automatically swapped to match the desk where the monitor is mapped

💡 Note: Connecting to a monitor alone without an established office network connection will not trigger desk detection or booking automations.

💡 Note: booking automations require the User authenticated privacy mode with Enable booking automation switched on. Presence detection and occupancy analytics continue to work either way. See Privacy modes.

The Dock dashboard displays the current network status and connected monitors.

💡 Tip: if a change made by Dock is not visible in the deskbird web app right away, sync it as follows:

• For existing bookings: users should refresh their browser to sync the updated status in the deskbird web app.
• For new bookings: if Dock is already running, users should sign out and back in, then refresh the web app to sync their latest changes.

7. Grace period and auto check-in

deskbird Dock's automatic check-in works together with your office's check-in grace period. The check-in deadline is the booking start time plus the grace period. If a user hasn't been checked in by that deadline, the desk booking is automatically released.

Because Dock checks users in the moment their presence is detected, arriving within the grace period keeps the booking. Arriving after it means the original booking has already been cancelled and cannot be recovered.

The example below assumes a desk booked from 09:00, with the office's grace period applied:

8. Setting up office detection (Admins)

Office detection is typically configured by the IT team. To link a network to an office:

1. Navigate to Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Presence detection > Office detection
2. Click "Add network"
3. Enter the office and network details (Wi-Fi SSID/BSSID, Default gateway, Subnets, or Public IP) to link them to the office

Once a network is added, any user connecting from that network will be automatically detected and checked in.

💡 How network detection works: detection combines two levels of logic:

• Between rules (OR): you can add several network rules to the same office. Connecting to any one of them triggers detection and the related automations.
• Within a rule (AND): all conditions enabled inside a single rule must be met at the same time.

This means different connection scenarios — for example Wi-Fi and Ethernet — are best covered by adding a separate rule for each, instead of combining every condition into one rule.

Ethernet and Wi-Fi support: deskbird Dock supports both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections. Which conditions are available depends on the connection type:

⚠️ Note: because SSID and BSSID are not reported over Ethernet, a rule containing either of them only ever matches over Wi-Fi. For offices where users connect via Ethernet, add a rule built on Default gateway (MAC), Subnets (CIDR), or Public IP. To find the gateway value, open the deskbird Dock dashboard while on the office network, look at the Ethernet connection, and copy the "Gateway - MAC" field.

⚠️ Avoid identical network rules across offices: each office must have at least one network value that is unique. If two offices are configured with the exact same Wi-Fi SSID and the same subnet, the system cannot tell which office the user is in, so presence detection is skipped — and without a check-in, the booking is released after the grace period. Make sure at least one value (for example, the subnet range) differs between offices.

9. Setting up desk detection (Admins)

Desk detection links a specific monitor to a specific desk, so users are checked in at the exact desk they plug into. A published floor plan is required. To link a monitor to a desk:

1. Navigate to Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Presence detection > Desk detection
2. Click the gear icon for the desired office
3. Manual mapping: click Manual mapping, connect a monitor to your device to surface it in the system, select the correct desk from your floor plan, then click Map to link the monitor to it.
4. Auto-mapping: switch on the Auto-mapping toggle and set the number of detections required to confirm a match. Track progress in the Mapped and Unmapped tabs. If a conflict arises (a monitor detected at 2 or more desks), you will be prompted to resolve it manually from this page.

Once a monitor is mapped, any user connecting from that monitor will be automatically detected at that specific desk and checked in.

💡 Note: Auto-mapping requires an office network to be configured. To enable it, go to Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Presence detection > Office detection and add your office networks.

💡 Tip: monitor mapping coverage also determines how accurate the floor and desk occupancy dashboards are. Desks without a mapped monitor always count as unused. See Occupancy analytics (deskbird Dock analytics).

Exporting the monitor-to-desk mapping

Mapping data doesn't have to stay inside deskbird. Once monitors are mapped, the full list can leave the Admin area and flow into an IT asset management (ITAM) or CMDB system — so hardware records show which monitor sits at which desk, without walking the floor to check it manually.

CSV export: to download the mapping for one office:

1. Navigate to Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Presence detection > Desk detection
2. Click the gear icon for the desired office
3. Click Export CSV, next to Manual mapping

Each export contains:

💡 Note: the export runs per office, so repeat the steps above for each office you need. Only mapped monitors are included — desks without a mapped monitor do not appear in the file.

API access: the same mapped-monitor data is available through the deskbird API. Use it to pull the mapping into an ITAM or CMDB system on a schedule, instead of downloading and importing CSV files by hand.

10. Privacy modes (Admins)

deskbird Dock offers flexible privacy controls, so you can decide exactly how much personal data Dock collects — from full user-level tracking to complete anonymity. This is especially useful for organizations with strict data privacy requirements or an active works council. The mode you pick controls which analytics and automations are available, and how identifiable the data is.

Presence settings live in a dedicated Workplace Intelligence section in Admin, split into two pages:

• Presence detection: the standard network and desk detection setup.
• Privacy: choose the privacy mode and its settings.

To configure, go to Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Privacy, select a mode, and click Save. Reset discards unsaved changes and restores the last saved configuration.

Available modes

What each mode enables

Authenticated mode settings

In User authenticated mode, an additional Enable booking automation toggle controls whether Dock triggers auto check-in and auto-book when a resource is detected. It is switched on by default.

• On: Dock checks users into existing bookings, creates desk bookings at mapped monitors, and swaps desks where needed.
• Off: presence is still detected and user-level analytics still work, but Dock makes no changes to bookings. Users check in and book manually in the deskbird web or mobile app.

💡 Note: if auto check-in or automatic desk booking isn't happening even though presence is detected, check this toggle first.

What employees see

In User authenticated mode, Dock shows a first-run message to employees the first time the app activates: "Presence detection is on — deskbird detects when you're at the office to check you in automatically. We only collect the signals needed for this — never browsing data or location while you're away." Employees confirm with Got it, or open Learn more for details. Admins can preview this message under Admin > Workplace Intelligence > Privacy.

Impact on Workforce Analytics in Anonymous mode

Switching to Anonymous changes how presence data appears in Workforce Analytics:

• "Distribution in detail" shows pseudonymized names instead of individuals.
• A dedicated default dashboard for unique device visits replaces the per-user dashboard.
• Policy compliance reports continue to work on the pseudonymized data.

Switching modes

💡 Note: if you rely on Dock's booking automations (auto check-in, desk swapping, automatic desk booking creation), keep the User authenticated mode.

⚠️ Switching modes: changing the privacy mode affects data that has already been collected:

• User authenticated → Anonymous anonymizes all past events. Occupancy data is preserved, but user-level information is permanently removed.
• Anonymous → User authenticated does not recover past data.

deskbird shows a confirmation warning before applying a change — review it carefully before confirming.

11. Deploying at scale with Microsoft Intune (Admins)

For large rollouts, enterprise IT teams can deploy deskbird Dock centrally to Entra-joined, Intune-managed Windows devices. On managed installs, the app activates silently with pre-configured authentication — no browser sign-in and no passwords for end users. For step-by-step setup instructions, see the deskbird Dock Intune Windows rollout guide.

Choose the activation mode that fits your privacy policy (set in deskbird Admin):

• Company mode (anonymous): activates for your Microsoft organization only, as an anonymous device with no user identity. Measures office occupancy without identifying individuals. Requires registering your Entra tenant ID with deskbird first.
• User mode: activates as the signed-in employee, who must already have a deskbird account. Presence is linked to that person, unlocking personalized features like auto check-in and booking automations where enabled.
• Manual mode: available for quick pilot phases or testing on unmanaged devices.

💡 Note: Intune-based silent deployment is available for Windows devices.

12. Occupancy analytics (Admins)

Every presence signal Dock records also feeds the occupancy analytics dashboards under Intelligence > Dock analytics. These show how offices, floors, and desks are actually used — based on detected presence rather than bookings — and are available to Admins and Office Admins.

The dashboards work regardless of the selected privacy mode, since they only ever display aggregated figures. Individual employees are not identified there.

For a full breakdown of every KPI and chart, how each number is calculated, and what to check when the figures look wrong, see Occupancy analytics (deskbird Dock analytics).

13. Troubleshooting

If something isn't working as expected, check the table below for common issues and quick fixes:

14. Feedback & support

As an early beta tester, your feedback is essential to shaping the final product. To report bugs or request support, reach out to the deskbird team at dock@deskbird.com.

⚠️ Note: this version is for early-stage testing and may contain rough edges. It does not necessarily reflect the final product. Thank you for helping us build a better workspace experience!

15. FAQs